I suspect there are a lot of sick kids out there. But I KNOW there are a lot of kids that play their parents and play the system.
Wow, just wow. I have worked in our school district's preschool classroom for children with autism, have taught in several classes with children on the spectrum, and have worked in a special ed Head Start room in which half the children had autism. If you saw the kids who are diagnosed, you would know that nobody is "playing their parents". When a child cannot talk, cannot grasp the concept of different colors, cannot handle even a simple change in routine, it is not "playing the parents".
But see, all the kids on every level of the spectrum need the help they receive. Maybe someday the name of the diagnosis will change, but he needs of the child won't. There are some that say that Aspergers isn't really on the spectrum, but a different disorder all together. I don't care what it's eventually called, as long as the children involved get the help they need.
Your argument about the needs of the children on the milder end of the spectrum taking away from the needs of the children on the more severe end is a flawed one. It wasn't too long ago that children on the more severe end would have been denied an education completely. They would have been institutionalized or simply ignored. That was wrong, and it would also be wrong to deny that children on the more mild end need help too.
One of the greatest advancements (IMO) is the fact that we now recognize it as a spectrum. Yes, years ago children with Asperger's were just "odd", but that meant they never got the help they needed. Children with Asperger's do not understand social cues and need intensive intervention. Many children with Asperger's are not capable of abstract thinking. Try using figurative language with a child on the spectrum- many take everything literally, and that is one reason we have to do such extensive training with things like figurative language.
It is these students who used to fall through the cracks. I taught a boy with diangosed Apserger's, and the kids treated him like crap. We worked with him on his social skills, but he had problems in everything I described above. He would get frustrated when he didn't understand something, and would cry. The kids in that class would make fun of him and ask why he couldn't act like everyone else. Thank God he was diagnosed, with services he will learn those social skills and abstract thoughts and figurative language that trip him up.
I do too, it used to be a 1 in 10,000 kids diagnosis, and now its 1 in 4?
Just like ADHD, my 25 year old DS was diagnosed, at 8 and heavily medicated, however he had the stamina to say: 'Hey Mom, I don't want to take ALL this medication." (at age 16) I said OK, and guess what? He is able to fly across the world and back to Afghanistan, and have NO problems "listening to directions" and gets home safe everytime.
Yea, I agree its the "new Disease" of the 2000's....I wonder what will be next?
1:4, and you got that number from where?
Autism does not bring money into schools. School funding is a complex issue, and most special educatin programs are
underfunded. If a school has enough special ed children (typically 30), then they count as a break out group for NCLB. This meanst that the children in that population, who typically function below grade level, must perform on grade level on standardized tests. If those students do not, the school gets sanctioned and loses funding. It's in the schools best interest to have fewer children receiving services.
Services are expensive, and huge problem for schools is not having enough money to pay for them. Many children do not receive services because the schools have no money. One of the reasons the special education program in my area is so good is because of the university. Every fall we have a Professional Development School in which we (the grad students) teach half a day and take classes the other half. We are introduced as new staff and we are one extra person in the classroom who is up to date on the latest interventions and research. We are no cost to the school, which means they can spend that money elsewhere. It is a great benefit to the school. People from surrounding districts actually move here because their home districts cannot or will not pay for services because of budgetary reasons. So the more special ed children in a school, the bigger the drain on resources. Schools
lose money in special ed, not gain it.
I would be THRILLED with "average" (and so would my son) !
- we difinately leave counting our blessings!!
hugs to all who are dealing with this, either personally or with their kids. 
It's ironic that he tries to come off as a disability rights crusader.
. If her friend didn't take offense - why should you. I'm sure her friend has a greater insight to her motivation and intent. 
Whatever. Doesn't change the fact that I cannot stand when people say or imply that someone else is not entitled to their own feelings because they don't have it bad enough.
